The present invention relates to a flexible container for dispensing liquids. The flexible container includes a resealable spout disposed to allow liquid to be withdrawn.
It is popular to package ingestable liquids in flexible containers made from a variety of materials. Such flexible containers are capable of being packaged with a separate straw for withdrawing liquid from the container. However, packaging a straw together with a flexible container is costly, inefficient, and often ineffective in that an extra packaging step is required and the straw is prone to coming dislodged from the container prior to use.
In order to alleviate such problems, containers have been developed which incorporate a withdrawal means which is integral with the container itself. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,359 to Franco describes a flexible pouch formed from two laminated sheets heat-sealed together and having an extensible straw mounted inside the pouch, held in place by a mounting flange which is secured to the perimeter seals of the pouch. The flange retains the straw in alignment with an openable edge of the pouch. The edge is opened by peeling apart the two sheets, providing access to the straw. The pouch is not resealable and cannot be re-closed in order to facilitate partial withdrawal of the contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,982 to Stenstrom et al. shows a flexible pouch having a corner thereof which forms a dispensing tube. The dispensing tube is opened by gripping a pair of free flaps at the end thereof. The weld which forms the end of the tube is identified as being peelable. The tube is not resealable nor otherwise capable of being closed once the original seal is broken.
The present invention includes a flexible container or pouch having a body portion that forms a flexible fluid reservoir and an integrally formed spout capable of being easily resealed after its initial use. The spout is made resealable, preferably, by an adhesive found on the interior surfaces of the spout opening.